TOPIC 2 SCOPE MANAGEMENT

Project charter – General info for the project

Project scope statement – details of the project or products

Project management plan – plan, scope statement, how to

breakdown work and internal & external analysis which comprises
constraints, assumptions, resources

Project sponsor or PM writes the project charter. High level document

provides the PM with authority to execute the project and may not require
adjustment as work proceeds. But there may be variations. Outlines roles
and responsibilities of all team members and establishes goals and
deliverables. Organizational chart/matrix can demonstrate the level of
responsibilities and reporting / communication line.

Eg of Project Charter: Obtain Micro-credential in Project Management

Foundations to be able to undertake PM roles

Write the Scope Statement

Scope statements fulfill the most important project aspects – outline

everything in the project, provides frameworks for all tasks which team
execute those tasks and what deliverables are needed.

While these scope statements occasionally shift throughout the life of a

project, it is vital to keep them as accurate as possible from the beginning.

Scope creep is what happens when changes are made to the project
scope without any control procedure like change requests. Those changes
also affect the project schedule, budget, costs, resource allocation and
might compromise the completion of milestones and goals. Scope creep is
one of the most common project management risks.

Generally, scope creep occurs when new project requirements are added
by project clients or other stakeholders after the project execution has
started. Often these changes are not properly reviewed. Therefore, the
project team is expected to complete more tasks, deliverables and
milestones with the same resources and in the same time as the original
scope.

On the other hand, you could end up with a project with lots of approved,
considered changes, that never ends because every time you think you
have finished, a new project requirement such as a new product feature
arrives in your inbox, and you have to make more changes.
To control your project scope and prevent scope creep, you’ll need scope,
change and risk management plans.

What is project scope management?

The project scope is a detailed description of the result or mission of the

project. It is the basis for developing the project
requirements and deliverables.

Project Requirements
Stakeholders' needs and expectations - the conditions or capabilities
required in the project's product.

Deliverables

The unique and verifiable outcomes required to complete a process, phase

or whole project.

Example: Mater Hospital upgrade

The upgrade of the Mater Hospital consisted of the following components

(scope of work):

 a new entry to the hospital

 medical imaging facilities
 a new surgery unit
 four digital operating theatres.

https://www.cpbcon.com.au/our-projects/2018/mater-hospital-upgrade

Project scope versus product scope

The project scope includes the work required to deliver the project's
outcome. For example, the project scope of the hospital upgrade consists
of a description of methods and processes to complete the construction
work.

Product scope differs from project scope as it includes the features and
functions characterising the outcome. Product scope includes the
characteristics and functions of the components, such as the facilities'
size, equipment type and other features. Therefore, the product scope can
be considered part of the project scope.

Creating a scope management plan

When projects fail, scope issues are frequently a key factor. That’s why
projects need a solid scope management plan. Without a scope
management plan, stakeholders may operate with false assumptions,
which results in surprise and unanticipated outcomes.

Savvy project managers know that a sound, well-defined project scope is

the key to ensuring a project runs smoothly.

The steps to create a scope management plan include:

 plan scope management

 collect requirements
 define the scope
 create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
 validate the scope
 control the scope

1. Plan Scope Management

This planning phase is where the relevant stakeholders gather the

relevant information, they need to make informed decisions that
ensure the integrity of the scope of a project. The plan also provides
guidance on managing barriers and setbacks, a work breakdown
structure (WBS) and critical statement.

2. Collect or Balance Requirements

The project's stakeholder vision emerges within the collecting
requirements phase. This enables the effective management of
stakeholder expectations to be documented (from interviews, focus
groups or surveys). This phase is essential and should include updates
and any final deliverables. However, it is important to manage this
phase with care as it establishes the framework for measuring the
project's success.

3. Define Scope Statement

Fully understanding what deliverables are expected will determine what is

and is not within the project's scope. The project scope is an important
statement that will guide the project. Therefore, it should be reviewed
often to ensure the team is on track.

4. Create a WBS

The WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) sets the deliverables and tasks in
the project. The WBS helps the team be more efficient and effective, stay
on track and not skip steps.

5. Validate the scope

Management, customers and all stakeholders should approve the scope
to ensure that deliverables are clearly defined and agreed upon.

6. Control the scope

The project progress status is monitored according to the scope

management plan. If changes are needed, it is best done with the
involvement of all stakeholders.

Importance of Scope Management

The iron triangle

Managing stakeholder and client expectations is one of the most

challenging tasks for a project manager. With a well-defined project scope,
managers can easily stay on track and ensure that all the deadlines are
followed throughout the project life cycle.

A clear and detailed project scope definition is the basis for defining the
other components of the project, including time and cost, to ensure the
final project's quality. This is often known as the iron triangle of project
management. Deviations in these variables may result in a change in the
quality of the project.

Balancing project requirements

A project can be completed successfully when the project manager

balances scope, time, and cost without compromising quality. Adding
more components can increase project time and cost.

To ensure the quality of a project, acceptance should be

established early in the project, especially during the initiation or
planning stages.

Examples include completing the project before a specific deadline and

completing the project within a certain budget. These are also known
as project priorities or constraints.
Scope Management Plan

The scope management plan is a component of your project plan which

describes how the scope of your project will be established and controlled.
This document includes your work breakdown structure, scope statement
and the process by which the scope will be approved by stakeholders as a
baseline for your project.

The scope management plan helps project managers make sure that
stakeholders understand the project scope baseline, and how changes to
it will affect the overall project management plan.

Beware of scope creep!

Expanding the project scope can have both positive and negative
consequences on a project.

For example, adding a car park to the hospital project (although it is not
included in the initial plan or agreement) can be helpful to enhance the
services of the end-users, but it can increase the cost and duration of the
project.

However, adjustment to project scope without considering the change to

project time, cost, and risk can lead to what is called 'scope creep'. This
is not a favourable situation because it can delay the completion of the
project and affect its quality.

What Is Scope Creep and How Can I Avoid It? - ProjectManager

Developing the scope statement

Developing the project scope statement starts with collecting the project
requirements. You must determine and document the needs of
stakeholders to meet project objectives.

For example, sufficient car park spaces, thermal comfort within the
building, and fast travelling time, might all be identified needs.

These needs can be transferred into requirements and, subsequently,

deliverables in the project. The collected requirements can be
documented in the Requirements Traceability Matrix or other similar
document.

Project stakeholders, especially owners and users, should actively

participate in scope development and requirements collection.

Project requirements can be collected using different tools such as

interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, quality function deployment,
prototypes or modelling. These can be organised into business,
stakeholder, solution, and project-based categories depending on the
solutions they offer within the project.

You can learn more about collecting project requirements from this
link, Collect Requirements(opens in a new tab), from the Project
Management Knowledge website.

Project Scope Statement: A Guide with Example & Template | PM Study

Circle

How to Write a Project Scope in 8 Easy Steps [2024] • Asana

Defining the scope

Defining the scope involves selecting the final project requirements, which
can then be developed into a detailed description of project deliverables.

Project deliverables are the basic components that are required to

complete the project. Some examples of deliverables in construction
include:

 design drawings
 proposals
 project reports
 building permits
 the finished product – a building, a road section, a bridge.

The scope statement is an integral component of the defined scope

process. The scope statement is a detailed description of major
deliverables, assumptions and constraints and describes the project's
primary outcome, including ancillary results such as drawings, models and
guidelines.

Benefits of the scope statement

The scope statement provides various benefits.

1. It enables more detailed planning.

2. It guides the work during the execution phase.
3. It evaluates whether change requests are within or outside the
project's scope.
4. It provides a basis to measure project success.
5. The scope statement is useful because it provides the basis for
developing project acceptance criteria and scope exclusions.

CASE STUDY

Analysis construction project scope statement.

Documents | New Sydney Fish Market | Infrastructure NSW (insw.com)

Project Scope Management Plan.pdf - WESTERN SYDNEY AIRPORT SCOPE
MANAGEMENT PLAN Brought to you by GROUP 24 2021 | SEP GROUP 24 1.
PROJECT SCOPE | Course Hero

WSA - Bechtel - Construction Plan - Stage 1.pdf (westernsydney.com.au)

M12 Motorway | Transport for NSW

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

What is the Work Breakdown Structure?

The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a hierarchical outline identifying

the product and work elements. The purpose of a WBS is to capture and
organise project deliverables such as:

 construction foundation
 landscaping
 external walls
 other components of the building.

A WBS helps to subdivide the deliverables into smaller, more manageable

components called work packages. A typical WBS is divided into 3-5
levels.

House Project

A house project consists of several major deliverables, such as the

substructure, superstructure, envelope, and so on. Each major
deliverable can be divided into sub-deliverables, which can be further
divided into several work packages.

The work package

The example below is for the M4 Motorway project. An example of a work

package is the piling work, part of the substructure deliverable.

Level 1 [whole project] M4 Motorway

Level 2 [major deliverables] Westbound Bridge Over Deniehy St,

Granville

Level 3 [sub deliverables]

Substructure Substructure Roadworks Drainage Temp Works

1 2 & Services
Level 4 [work packages]
Piling Bearings Approach Subsoil Scaffold/
slab access
Column Beams- Asphalt Drainage Envrio/
supply adjustment services
Earthworks Beams- Traffic control
install
Abutment Deck
Wingwalls Diaphragm
Piers Parapets-
supply
Upstands Parapets-
install
Developing the WBS

There are two main methods used to develop the WBS of a project. These
are breakdowns based on the following:

 Project phase or work sequence.

 Major deliverables.

Numbering

Usually, a code is given to the WBS based on the hierarchy.

Here is an example.

 At the top level, the complete project is given the number one.
 Major deliverables are given numbers 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and so on.
 The lower levels are numbered using the same method.

Regardless of the method used in developing and coding the WBS, all the
work and deliverables should be rolled up to complete the whole project.

Benefits of the WBS

The WBS is considered to be a map of the project. It provides an outline of

the project with different details and helps to capture all the work needed
to complete the project. A WBS is a basis to control and integrate the work
with the organisation.

The lowest level of a WBS (the work package) can be further divided into
smaller tasks or activities to facilitate estimating the duration, cost and
resources required to complete the work.

A WBS helps the project manager to:

 evaluate the cost, time, and technical performance of the project

 manage the plan, schedule, and budget

 provide information appropriate to each organisational level

 develop the organisational breakdown structure (OBS)

 determine communication channels and coordination to run the

work.
What is validating scope?

Validating scope is the process of formally accepting the complete project

deliverables. Validation is conducted periodically during the construction
stage.

The client or user can formally accept project deliverables based on the
acceptance criteria established early in the project and through the
project scope statement or scope baseline. When all deliverables are
validated and accepted, the project can be completed.

Inspection

One of the main tools used to validate scope is inspection. In this case,
the main purpose of the inspection is not to control the quality of the
product but rather to receive a formal acceptance of the deliverable by
the client or user.

Inspections include two types (as illustrated in the images below):

 non-destructive tests

 destructive tests.

Unlike non-destructive tests, destructive tests may damage the element

or the deliverable.

Scope control

Scope control is conducted throughout the project (especially during the

construction stage) to ensure that the project manager controls any
change that may occur in the project. Sometimes, changes to the project
can be good. However, any format changes, such as corrective or
preventive actions, should be appropriately managed.

The scope control process aims to ensure that all change requests are
reviewed and reflected on project baselines.

For example

Suppose a project team requests an additional element during project

execution. In that case, the new addition should be reviewed first to
ensure it does not significantly influence project duration, cost and risk.

The change, if approved, should be reflected in project baselines,

including scope, cost and schedule.

Scope creep
Scope creep is the nightmare of any project manager. It is defined as the
tendency for the project to expand over time due to changes in its
requirements, specifications and priority. Scope creep is the leading cause
of extensive project delay and cost overrun.

Working through Deliverables

Breakdown project objectives into project deliverables using:

 -expert judgement and advice

 -create WBS
 -review similar projects

Techniques:

 -brainstorming
 -checklist
 -Focus group
 -interviews (conducted with stakeholders to obtain info)

WBS FOR RESIDENTIAL HOUSE (Based on Phases)

Planning Phase: (1) Confirm design, (2) Cost and budget, (3) Risk
management (4) Selection of Contractors (5) Signing of Contract

Pre-Construction: (1) Council approvals, (2) Soil investigations (3)

Construct Phase: (1) Site establishment (2) foundations (3) Ground Slabs
and structures (4) Superstructure (5) Roofing (6) Services (7) Finishes (8)
Landscaping (9) External works

Monitor and Control Phase: (1) Continuous evaluate and review time, cost
and quality

Closure Phase: (1) Feedback (2) Warranties and securities in place.